Medical Construction & Design

MAY-JUN 2017

Medical Construction & Design (MCD) is the industry's leading source for news and information and reaches all disciplines involved in the healthcare construction and design process.

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60 Medical Construction & Design | M AY/ J U N E 2017 | MCDM AG.COM Products Three years ago, Reading Hospital in West Reading, Pennsylvania, embarked on a $354-million expansion project that would add 476,000 square feet to the 147-year-old hospital. The result is Seventh Street Tower, a new nine-story addition. Running throughout most of the facility is noraplan eco with nora nTx. nora nTx is a pre-applied, solvent-free adhesive backing that minimizes prep work and eliminates drying protocols, saving valuable time and money. The product is resistant to high-moisture vapor emissions and extensive pH limits, which eliminates the need for moisture testing and remedia- tion before installation. "nora nTx was very important to us from a schedule and cost standpoint, because it did not require a moisture miti- gation system to be installed prior to the fl oor going down, which represents a sav- ings in not only dollars, but also in time," says Jeff Hutwelker, project executive with LF Driscoll Co., LLC, the company that provided construction management. "We believe that the time saved with the application of the nora nTx fl oor cover- ing was approximately two months in our construction schedule." Other individuals involved in the project point to additional advantages of the fl ooring. According to David Major, director of facilities and construction at Reading Health System, "Maintenance of the product is greatly enhanced in the fact that we do not have to un-wax or wax the fl oors… The care and maintenance of the product has potentially been the largest, greatest eff ect with regard to selecting noraplan eco with nora nTx." Tim Cole, director of environmental ser- vices for Reading Health Systems, agrees. "It's a lower maintenance product, requir- ing less labor and materials. In addition, from an environmental standpoint, you can clean and maintain the fl oor with less caustic chemicals and cleaners as opposed to other traditional fl oor coverings." Cole also points to the positive impact nora fl ooring has upon throughput, the ability to move patients through the hos- pital. "With the nora fl ooring, we are able to turn over patient rooms very quickly — probably in half the time it would normally take to do a fl oor that we have to clean and wax." And, he appreciates the fl oor's low-gloss fi nish. "Historically, fl ooring and fl oor surfaces were real shiny and glossy. What we've come to fi nd is patients that make up the older population have some diffi culty with walking and getting around a facility when they see a lot of shiny fl oors. It's sometimes disorienting." Patient safety is front and center for Marie Keim, director of epidemiol- ogy infection control and prevention at Reading Health System. "From an infection prevention perspective, I think fl ooring is very important in its durability. The fact that this fl oor is very solid and dense provides an extra barrier for us, and it gives Environmental Services a fl oor that can be cleaned easily. The surfaces are smooth; we don't need to be concerned about residual water, bacteria and other items going into cracks and crevices and harboring any sort of bacteria or organisms." Looking back on the project, Major best summed up everyone's experience with the product. "If I was advising someone who was selecting a fl ooring covering, I would tell them to take a very close look at a product with regard to the overall cost and the relative cost over time versus other products. When we examined this over the duration of this project, we found that the nora fl ooring with nora nTx is far superior than our other choices." Visit www.nora.com. From top: nora nTx minimizes prep work and eliminates drying protocols, which saved time in the Reading Hospital expansion project. > nora fl ooring stands up to high-volume traffi c, while providing an improved throughput, stain and slip resistance, comfort underfoot and a durable, dense surface that helps prevent infection. Accelerating schedules, enhancing care with nora nTx fl ooring The Right Coverage FLOORING

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